Raiders is an unreleased Tomb Raider title that was in development before Lara Croft and The Guardian of Light. It was designed as a co-op game that would have more closely resembled the gameplay of earlier Tomb Raider titles. The story focused on the clones of Lara Croft, known as the Doppelgangers. The project was canceled before there was much need for User Interface content, but I was asked to provide design mockups to help sell the intended tone of the game to the rest of the team.

DESIGN EXPLORATIONS:

(Sorry guys! Images removed by Meagan Marie at request of studio!)

WinterSoldierLTE

7th Nov 2014, 19:35

Reported

Treeble

7th Nov 2014, 19:43

The link is actually genuine though.

I'll read slowly to fully absorb what's just been posted though. We don't usually get to hear much about cancelled projects like this. :)

Jurre

7th Nov 2014, 19:53

An actual game that just borrowes imagery from Paul W.S. Anderson films? This is more fake than the Piltdown skull if you glue Michael Jacksons nose to it.

Treeble

7th Nov 2014, 19:55

These are just design mock ups to help sell the pitch. The idea was discared long before it could actually be a thing. I wonder how it would have worked though, seeing as it would feature an approach closer to the TR games instead of the isometric style we received with GOL.

Rai

7th Nov 2014, 21:49

Is it me or do a couple of those images feature Reboot Lara (the CGI model). How could this be if this was meant to be a game before GoL? Just curious. Surely CD weren't making TR'13 back then?

Treeble

7th Nov 2014, 21:57

I see a TRU Lara outline in the first few images, but not a 2013 one. Which one do you mean, Rai?

Also irrelevant, but after watching the Turning Point trailer over and over I have to say, I see her TRA self clearly in some of the frames. D:

WinterSoldierLTE

7th Nov 2014, 22:21

Ah, sorry for jumping the gun.

Rai

7th Nov 2014, 23:18

@@Treeble, the 14th and 15th images. It's in the face. Either that's her face (and body in different clothing) or it's an uncanny likeness.

'Raiders' is an interesting concept, certainly. So, it was meant to be a secondary game not a main TR game, I assume? Yet it would have resembled more of a classic style? For some, I think, that would have potentially been more TR than the reboot.

Treeble

7th Nov 2014, 23:25

Possibly just a coincidence - check the date the original was posted on this website (http://www.3dtotal.com/index_gallery_detailed2.php?id=2960#.VF1iXRbth5c): 2007. Not sure when the movie it's based on was released, but it probably was around the same time.

Jurre

7th Nov 2014, 23:46

This was the original image:

I guess Milla Jovovich just looks like TR9 Lara in this image. This film was from 2007 by the way: so just in time for this concept art to be made... Looking at the website it's from I guess it's geguine. I'm happy it's cancelled though cause it looks like a terrible idea to me...

Rai

8th Nov 2014, 00:13

That's Mila Jovovich? Well in that image, she looks the spit of Lara in this one:
http://i.imgur.com/Cg21xQ6.png
Different hair of course.

And yeah, I too can occasionally see a likeness to TRA Lara. I guess as the features are similar and they're both younger versions as well, it's easier to see a fit.

Treeble

8th Nov 2014, 14:15

Aaaaaaaand... it's all gone. If that doesn't prove its authenticity, I don't know what would.

WinterSoldierLTE

8th Nov 2014, 17:12

^^^^ What's gone?

Treeble

8th Nov 2014, 17:24

Images and references to this project in the artist's website.

WinterSoldierLTE

8th Nov 2014, 21:37

Ah

RybatGrimes

8th Nov 2014, 22:37

Did anyone save them? I didn't get to see them. ):

WinterSoldierLTE

9th Nov 2014, 00:33

They were the same images that are in the o.p. There were no screenshots of game play or any Lara renders.

Btw I have no idea what this thread is about (and I don't see any pictures in the OP either). :p

WinterSoldierLTE

10th Nov 2014, 02:34

L2R! Welcome back mate! Where ya been and how's life been?

There were pictures of a main menu from this cancelled project the OP was talking about. They had no pics of Lara, just pics of Aeon Flux and Alice from the Resi flicks with "Raiders" written over them. Concept art, I suppose. I wouldn't call them essential viewing for TR fans, but they were interesting given the context. They were apparently taken down from here, but they do still show up when I login to these forums on my mobile. Very strange.

MeaganMarie

10th Nov 2014, 14:21

Hey guys and gals!

To step in and clarify quickly, yes, these were official concepts. The images posted were an early exploration of a game that eventually became Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. The concept evolved quite a bit before it became our first digital download game, similar to how Ascension was iterated on an incredible amount before becoming 2013’s Tomb Raider.

Unfortunately, we’ve got to pull these down as they were intended for internal use only. Some of the concepts incorporated images from movies that fit the concept from a character and mood standpoint, and we think leaving them up will cause confusion.

Treeble

10th Nov 2014, 15:05

Thanks for the confirmation, Meagan.

a_big_house

10th Nov 2014, 15:33

Good to know, thanks Meagan :)
Although... Does this mean there might be some pre Guardian of Light art/footage that you can share? (As you did with Ascension)

MeaganMarie

10th Nov 2014, 17:58

Thanks for the confirmation, Meagan.

No prob!

Good to know, thanks Meagan :)
Although... Does this mean there might be some pre Guardian of Light art/footage that you can share? (As you did with Ascension)

I'll ask around if there is anything we can share. No promises, but I'll try! :D

RybatGrimes

11th Nov 2014, 07:20

Dang, I didn't expect any kind of official word about this :eek:

Thanks for the explanation Meagan, this is why you're the best. :D

larafan25

14th Nov 2014, 18:38

Can't belieb I missed this.

This is ma sh

Weemanply109

22nd Nov 2014, 02:29

Omg no! :'(

Peka_Peka

25th Nov 2014, 21:31

When you think of it again using clones of Lara for a coop game wouldn't sound fun indeed
(that's why this aspect got changed).

Right now players expect distincts characters in squad based game, so if it has to be a 4 women team,
they should each one have a role or trait, basically you'll find thoses in most games:
-Leadership (the vet, balanced, with a tip for communication skill)
-Skilled (rusher, leet, pro, risk taker, griefer, always angry)
-Defensive (turtler, safe style, sometimes paranoid)
-Support (completist, very smart, crafty, highly item dependant)

You can even have this story (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fauna_of_Mirrors) about alternate worlds and mirrors "...but one day the people of the fauna are supposed to rise to power over those of earth. On the day when the fauna people return strange things will begin to happen..."

Boom. Sequel to Temple of Osiris done, get on it Crystal :D After Christmas, of course...

Peka_Peka

25th Nov 2014, 22:25

Well it's the idea of clones where the weirdness reside, this create many narrative bottlenecks.
Let's say you have "Skilled" character arguing with the team (all distinct characters, no clones) and getting herself in trouble
and "Leader" Lara save her, and the skill type thanks the leader begrudgely, there you have your story;

Now if it's Skilled Lara clone getting in an argument with the other Lara Clones (Leader Lara, Funny Lara, Introvert Lara)
and she gets herself in troubles and is saved by Leader Lara, it's weird; Skill type Lara leaves a bad impression
of the whole character by simply playing her, and then any team clones interaction would sound like a monologue...
This would be hard, very hard to relate or tell out of context..!

Or maybe it's possible to spin 4 Lara clones team into something awesome, i'm just used to see 4 distinct team members in video games

a_big_house

26th Nov 2014, 15:28

Well Arcade and Doppelganger are voiced by Keeley, Survivor by Camilla and AoD by Jonell, and they all sound noticeably different :D

Also, there's not really a 'saving' kind of gameplay in the Lara Croft games, it's every (wo)man for (her)himself mostly so most of the interactions are within cutscenes, so you'll be able to visibly tell who is talking. And if you need to look at a team of 4 people who are distinctly different, just look at the characters in Temple of Osiris :D